Well I just recieved my EX1 last week and decided to take in to the repair depot in Los Angeles yesterday for the firmware updates and to check a few things. Well the firmware update is what they call a Feature Enhancement and now costs $100. Damn my camera is only a week old, but it has the 1.05 version of the firmware. It should be free seeing that it's within the 90 days warenty period but alas no amount of talking would change the gentleman's mind. I do need the update since I just ordered 2-32GB SxS cards.

Just thought I would mention it since apparently this just started.

Cheers
Robert C. Fisher

Not even free with a 2x32 SxS order - whats that like $3000?

Sorry to hear that.

I'd return the camera to the retailer and let them explain to Sony why your new camera will not work with the 32Gig cards.

Thats incredible since you bought the camera after the update was introduced.

I think this is just the start.... Most people that buy units now will proabaly be getting version 1.05 it will take a while for the 1.11 to start showing up... It's going to upset a lot of folks.

I agree with Barry. If you ended up buying the EX1 and the 32GB cards from the same dealer, have the dealer call Sony out and have them deal with it. Seems like your request is reasonable (and Sony isn't)

what a joke...

abit mean by Sony.
Brand new camera should have all the software updates for free with in 1 year.

Indeed, what a load of crap Sony is dumping on their loyal userbase. You'd think they would want people to buy their new Rolls Royce memory cards without any hassle. Great product...mediocre customer service. This isn't the first company that's like that though!

Yes this is totally WRONG.

I go to a Sony dealer and buy a brand new EX1. I also buy 2 32Gb cards. I can't use the cards and shoot, even though I have spent thousands. I take th camera back and say its faulty.

"No its not faulty, you hto have the camera updated". Please do it then I have a job to shoot this week".

"Sure. That will be $100 thank you".

"Sorry?"

"We charge you $100 to do the update".

"Eh? You kidding right? So the camera doesn't work. I will have a full refund then please as you have sold me faulty goods."

Watch them do the update for free.

Quickest solution is to do the upgrade yourself... see other thread here. It seems to be working well.
I would also make a letter to your dealer, to his boss, to Sony and say how mean they are.

Another solution is to call the prime support and say your camera suffer the back focus problem. Tell them you want the upgrade too. They should be OK (at least in France they are). You will just lose the camera for a week or two...

Who EVER heard of such a thing...
This makes NO sense.

I would of "hands down" returned the camera and said it is NOT compatible with the 32GB cards they claimed are compatible.

In Canada that will be cost you $100 courtesy of Sony Canada, if you intend on keeping your warranty valid. This is straight from Sony Broadcast Pro dealers, most of whom are not even aware that the Ex1 firmware is now at 1.11 and required to work with the new 32Gig cards and hard drive. "Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil"

That is ludicrous.

I would definitely not stand for that.

Sony sucks period and this is just pretty par for the course from them. I just hope some of how they've dealt with the 32GB/firmware upgrade here gets a wider audience.

You may recall that the Sony Premium support expert who took my call and told me they couldn't take my camera for firmware upgrade because it was "physically damaged" (the external mic holder had snapped off when the supplied camera bag brushed against the mic that was installed in it). He assured me that the upgrade was only needed for the hard disk unit and NOT the 32GB card.

It's now a week after my dealer rep returned from vacation and no response to my "I can't get my camera upgraded because Sony won't take it. Can you help?" emails.

Of course the main reason the external mic holder snapped off is because the supplied mic from the "professional broadcast dealer" was too big/heavy for it. The fact that the wretched microphone, sold as part of a custom EX1 package, showed up in the frame at wide angle settings should have alerted me to the sort of professionalism to expect from this "professional broadcast dealer". I guess it's another sign of Sony's own professionalism in selecting who they allow to sell their "professional" products.

The only light at the end of the tunnel for me is that if I take a day off work and travel to an official Sony Repair Centre (some distance from my home in central London and my place of work in Kingston) I can try and get a new external mic holder fitted for a fee (if Sony Premiere Support can be believed). Then I can take another day off work to collect it and then Sony say they WILL take it for a free firmware upgrade so long as I get it to them before the end of October. Of course I won't have my camera for quite a while at a time when I need it most because I've agreed to help video a bunch of events, but heh! this is Sony, what did I expect?

I am seriously thinking of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, putting all the Sony gear on Ebay and buying a different camera from another manufacturer AND another dealer.

Third time around for posting this, but it's gotta be said yet again:

Just a quick forum policy note -- the firmware is Sony's own intellectual property and as such they are the only entity that can rightfully distribute it. I know that some of you have offered to share the firmware with others via email, bypassing the rightful IP holder in the process.

That's illegal, but if you want you to do that, it's happily none of my business. However... you will not use my site to advertise your willingness to violate copyright law. Therefore I will withdraw from public view any post that offers to redistribute this material outside of Sony. I've just withdrawn one such post. As the forum owner, I have no choice but to look at this as a liability issue: if you want to redistribute a major corporation's intellectual property and risk the associated legal repercussions, by all means use your *own* web site for that purpose. I'll have absolutely no part of it whatsoever.

Thread stays open for now... take care,

I am also flabbergasted by the fact that Sony in the US and Canada are actually charging for the firmware update!
I just had my camera in for the upgrade and several other fixes here in europe and I have to say that I was impressed that it all took just one week and that Sony paid for everything including shipping. Isn't silver support supposed to work the same way worldwide? How can Sony charge the americans and not the europeans?
Maybe we have finally found the reason why the camera is so much more expensive in europe - firmware updates are included! ;-)

gandnabbit... it's gonna co$t me... 6 days outta the box... they should call it firmerware...
I am an American, I must pay!

Well I have to say I got a lot better service than I thought I would. The LA Service center called and my camera is ready, Woohoo! I just took it in on Wed and now it's ready this afternoon at about 5p, of course they close at 5 but still I can get there first thing on Monday to pick it up. I had some issues with the back focus and they looked into it and made some repairs, replaced a board or somesuch. Also since I was whining about the $100 bucks they kinda swept it under the rug and just included it in the repairs. I have to say I am happy but I still think it's lame to charge $100 for something we should be able to do ourselves. I am not Uncle Fred taking videos of my kids with a $800 video camera, the EX1 is a $8k (list) semi pro HD camera and I use it in my business. I would love to know how many of these things have been sold since it introduction. I had heard a few years ago when they introduced the first HDV camera that in the first 6 months of sales they had sold something like 55,000 of them and that one camera was responsible for all of the profit for that time period. Not too shabby!

Anyway time to finish up other stuff.

Cheers
Robert C. Fisher

Robert, et. al.

Where is the LA service center? And do you have a number?

Sounds like a better idea than sending it up north. Plus they probably understand the needs of professional cameraman better.

Thanks.

Hi Eric
Sony LA Service Center
2706 Media Center Drive, Suite 130
Los Angeles, CA 90065
I would give you the phone number but its pretty worthless since it lands somewhere else.

It's off San Fernando Rd south of Glendale. The guys doing the repairs are nice guys. I will run some tests on Monday after I pick up my camera and see what they did. If you want the firmware upgrade er "Feature Enhancement" expect to pay $100 for it unless you can do some fast talking.

You know it took about an hour to find the right number to call at Sony and find the Service Center here in LA. I could find clandestine CIA operations quicker!

Cheers
Robert C. Fisher

FYI, I took my EX1 to the Los Angeles service center, and they said the back log is a few weeks now! Probably all of us board lurkers trying to get in before they make a special 1.12 firmware version to disable some special features ala the posts here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/sony-xdcam-ex-cinealta/130757-sdhc-substitute-sxs-cards.html :)

Anyway, their number is 323-352-5000

The people there are very very busy, but definately quite helpful and friendly.

Robert, et. al.

Where is the LA service center? And do you have a number?

Sounds like a better idea than sending it up north. Plus they probably understand the needs of professional cameraman better.

Thanks.